Feast, Famine and Fear

We think it is never going to happen to us, even though we have already seen the effects of food supply shortages and stockpiling. But consider this, in 2006 it was estimated by the authorities that some 12% of Americans, 35 million people, were not always able to feed consistently. And, one wonders, what was the quality of that food, given the likely demographics of that group?

Nutrition consists of two basic things: Quantity and quality. If there is no food of a good enough quality, then the diet may be considered deficient despite being very high in calories. Paradoxically the very low nutrient content of “Junk” food and the SAD American and the BAD (British Average Diet) is precisely what drives people to overeat and become obese. Feast and famine in one deleterious package!

We are now looking at people across the world who are experiencing famine, death and disease whether through war, disease, natural disasters or a combination of all three and additional factors.

It is my belief that it is our responsibility to prepare and plan to feed ourselves well in the event of any of these, AND, also to try to get aid to the right people in the right places at the right time, to help those less fortunate than ourselves. “Charity begins at home” is true here because it is self-evident that if we are unwell then we cannot feed ourselves or our immediate family, we lose the ability to help further afield.

So, whilst our aim here is not to feed the world, but to prepare for the coming crisis, We can also at least share the wisdom and methods we have developed over the centuries and share them with those less fortunate than ourselves, here or abroad.

“The health of a nation depends upon its soil.”

So, start with basics: water, a well fed soil, viable seed (don’t start me on that one, ask Vandana Shiva, to me the Mother Theresa of agriculture), care, attention and planning. Unfortunately, due to years of plenty and inadequate respect for natural laws, we do not even have a particularly viable method of feeding ourselves in this country, as evidenced by rising disease, obesity and death rates.

The answer to this is to do what we can where we can in the way we can and hope to sow the seeds of hope elsewhere too, along the way. Local produce, local bartering, proven traditional methods, and old-fashioned home-cooked food.

The next problem we might face, here, is that in the event of a disaster, there may be no supermarkets or online shopping or other sources, so the answer to that is to get cracking now, and make it your priority, not the Louboutins unless you are lucky enough to do both!

And whilst we do, we might think about those poor Ukrainians too.